Back in the days of the XR/XC-suffixed Tiger 800 and in the first model years of the Tiger 900, Triumph offered base-model versions that filled a real niche if you knew to look for them. They were lower-spec, sure, but thousands of dollars cheaper than the top-of-the-line versions. In 2021, Triumph dropped the base-model Tiger 900 and introduced the Tiger 850 Sport with revised engine mapping, moving away from the “base-model stigma,” and upping the accessibility factor all around.
Although the Tiger 850 Sport looks virtually identical to the Tiger 900 GT models and uses the same 888cc engine, it’s rebadged in order to highlight what it doesn’t have in common with its siblings. First, the engine is remapped for increased low-end tractability and a broad, flat torque curve—great for urban riding, but it comes at the cost of peak performance. Compared to the Tiger 900, which produces a claimed 106.5 hp at 9,500 rpm and 66.4 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,850 rpm, the 850 Sport produces 84 hp at 8,500 rpm and 60 lb.-ft. of torque at 6,500 rpm. There are other differences too. First, it uses the older-generation 5-inch TFT display instead of the huge 7.1-inch screen on the 900s. The streamlined electronics package features just two ride modes (Road and Rain), and it makes do without a quickshifter. On the chassis side, while it uses the same up-spec Brembo Stylema calipers as the Tiger 900, it uses lower-spec Marzocchi suspension components. At nearly $3,000 less than the Tiger 900 GT, however, the 850 Sport looks like a bargain. Put another way, it’s 20 percent less expensive than a Tiger 900 GT, but nowhere close to 20 percent less of a motorcycle.
The 2024 Tiger 850 Sport is available in Graphite Diablo Red and Graphite/Jet Black for $12,290.
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